22 Dec 2025
In July this year, Sullivans Cove quietly unveiled a whisky that immediately captured the attention of collectors and serious drinkers across Australia. Single Cask No. TD0112—an 18-year-old French Oak ex-white wine maturation—arrived not as a typical release, but as a true anomaly in the world of single malt. Nearly nineteen years in a French oak barrique once used for white wine is almost unheard of, and according to the distillery’s team, nearly impossible to manage successfully. Yet against those odds, the cask emerged with balance, presence and a deeply expressive profile that set it apart from anything the Tasmanian distillery has released before .
Filled in June 2006 and decanted in March 2025, the cask yielded just 269 bottles at 50.6% ABV—a rarity shaped by patience and the distillery’s uncompromising approach to long-term maturation. French oak of this type is famously unpredictable: powerful, temperamental and often unsuitable for ageing beyond a short number of years. But here, careful cask management and a watchful eye across nearly two decades allowed the spirit to develop what Distillery Manager Heather Tillott described as “depth, individuality and a defiance of convention.” It challenges long-held assumptions about what single malt can become, and hints at what the future of Australian whisky may explore .
The profile moves with dark intensity—aromatic and layered, with notes reminiscent of alpine amaro, deep French oak spice and a structural complexity that unfolds slowly on the palate. It carries the richness and texture associated with Sullivans Cove’s house style yet occupies its own space with a contemplative character that invites slow appreciation rather than quick tasting. It is a whisky designed for reflection; a release that holds the weight of time.
Part of the distillery’s Old & Rare Collection, the 18 Year Old French Oak ex-White Wine Single Cask No. TD0112 became available exclusively through sullivanscove.com, inviting collectors to secure a piece seldom seen even in global whisky circles . For those who want to experience the distillery’s craft firsthand, guided tastings and tours at the new visitor experience in Hobart offer a deeper look into the philosophy behind such releases, from ingredient provenance to cask management.
In a category where long-aged whisky is often associated with predictability, this Sullivans Cove release proved the opposite: that rarity is born from risk, and that time, in the right hands, can reveal something entirely unexpected.
